Sam Totman
| Sam Totman | |
|---|---|
|
Sam Totman performing live with Dragonforce at the 2013 Rock Harz. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 26 April 1979 |
| Genres | Power metal, black metal, speed metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Sanctuary, Noise, Roadrunner |
| Associated acts | DragonForce, Babymetal, Power Quest, Demoniac, Shadow Warriors |
| Website | DragonForce.com |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Ibanez STM1WH Ibanez STM2SPB Ibanez Iceman IC400 Ibanez VBT700 Jackson Rhoads | |
Ian Samuel "Sam" Totman (born 26 April 1979 in London, England) is a guitarist and the main songwriter for the power metal band DragonForce. Totman was born in England, but moved to New Zealand at an early age.[1] He came back at around the age of 20 mainly because he missed England's numerous shows to attend every week, a possibility he didn't have in New Zealand.[1] He began playing classical guitar at the age of nine, receiving formal training for many years.[2]
He was part of the blackened power metal band Demoniac, which also featured his future DragonForce bandmate Herman Li. During his time with Demoniac, Sam was referred to as Heimdall (the Norse God of vigilance). Demoniac struggled to achieve any real fame, despite releasing 3 albums and re-locating from Wellington, New Zealand to London, UK. Due to this, Demoniac split sometime in late 1999, shortly after the album The Fire and the Wind was released. Most of the members went on to form power metal band DragonHeart, which later became known as DragonForce. Keyboardist Steve Williams and bassist Steve Scott left DragonHeart to form Power Quest with whom Sam recorded on their demo and first album, Wings of Forever. Sam also provided guest instrumentation on the band's following album, Neverworld.
Totman is one of two lead guitarists and is the primary songwriter of DragonForce, writing both music and lyrics for a majority of their discography.
References
- 1 2 Ramanand, Elizabeth. "Interview: Sam Totman of DragonForce". CHARGED.fm. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ↑ "Sam Totman – DragonForce". Retrieved 2010-06-25.